What are the chances?

It's been one month since my last post. Sad, because within this past month, so many note-worthy things have happened, and I am just now returning to my happy little outlet.

So B is away on his annual golf outing - something I wholeheartedly support and am proud that he is involved in. The irony? We both stick pretty close to home on average, but on this trip, Baby C has managed to come down with a nasty case of cough and nasal drip...she just woke up at 9:30pm not so happy, I just returned her to her crib, and needless to say, she is not the smily little bundle that she usually is. On that note, hopefully CR's cold won't progress any further [aka the germ manifester]. Should be a long night...

I am sure she will be just fine, and B, I hope you have an amazing tournament. When you get back, I am sure I will need some shut-eye.

Yes, my son does in fact enjoy leaving the couch, thank you for playing...

First off, Happy Birthday AM!!!! We cannot wait to spend time with you and AW down the Cape next week!!!!

Now into it. Nanny interviewing. Detailing this recent process could turn into a painfully long post, but here it is, plain and simple. We have been looking for someone to care for our children once I return to coaching in a matter of weeks. Our parameters are not that stringent - someone who loves to play with little kids, who is responsible, animated, can juggle two beasts without sacrificing the well-being of one to deal with the other...it would be great if they have a clean driving record and a car on top of it. Not a lot to ask, right? Especially when sitters are actively applying for this sort of position...

We had two individuals come by.

The first, EW, came in and immediately stooped down and engaged CR in conversation, played along when he asked her to come upstairs to see his room. When she left, he referred to her as a princess. If you remember, CR called me a princess at one point...I don't care, I still feel special and I am keeping the dress...

The second, well, that was a whole other story. I had a previous phone conversation with EO, and based on how she presented herself on the other end of the line, you would have thought she was the next Mary Poppins. Shroud in white terrycloth sweats, she waltzed into our home, cruised past CR without a glance, and plopped down her white iPhone with a bedazzled case on the dining room table.

We took a seat on the livingroom couch, where we proceeded to engage in what I intended to be a give and take interview-type conversation...but it proceeded to become a mini support group in the 'burbs. Instead of focusing on her childcare experience, she proceeded to tell me about her aunt who had recently passed (laughingly she said she died in her sleep "at a whopping 600lbs"...not amusing in my mind, but if weight-caused death make you chuckle, then, there's that...), the fact that her father had to have an operation to remove a non-malignant tumor, and that she wanted to spend her upcoming wedding anniversary at Disney World...the latter is not a tragic event in her life, but I sure wanted to give her some support and words of advice against that decision.

After lamenting for 20 minutes, she reluctantly followed CR upstairs to his room, where she proceeded to tell me that she hasn't spent more than 5 consecutive hours with children for the past two years, and that since she has been "doing this for so long now," (mind you, the girl is 29), that she is pretty much tired of the whole childcare thing...wow. Huge selling point. She asked if CR was doing quiet solo activities for long periods of time - like sitting down and doing arts and crafts for a couple of hours. She did not like the idea of doing one task for a bit, and then switching gears onto another game or change in location...these parameters are sort of a must when dealing with a preschooler. I asked her point blank if she has the energy to be with two children for fifteen hours a week, and she said yes...with a moment of hesitation...oh, and that if one of our children got sick, count her out five days on either side of onset...I wouldn't expect someone to care for my children while they are sick, but, um...NEXT!

So EW starts on Tuesday...she is a princess...

My muscles are confused, as is our son...

Bad Mommy and Daddy. Selfish, selfish, selfish...

B and I started doing P90X. We took advantage of our vacation at the Cape as a family and spent four afternoons sweating and groaning in front of the TV, doing things that our 35-year-old bodies should not be doing...sounds kinky, but it's not.

For those not familiar with the exercise program, there are multiple DVD options that vary in length (45 minutes to an hour and a half in duration) that guide you through jump training, arm and leg strengthening, and yoga...innocuous enough, right? Not so much. Not only did our limbs and core ache for days, CR decided that ignoring him during our routine was something that he could do without. How did he show his displeasure? He stood directly in front of the toilet, lifted up the seat, pulled down his pants, and proceeded to urinate all over the floor. It was a good enough sign for B and me to stop the insanity, turn off the TV, and retire the DVDs to their case. It was a welcome accident for our muscles...

Summer Hiatus

One would think that the dog days of summer would yield lots of free time, lazy afternoons, and time to post...well, sadly not in this house, but until I am able to get back into the rhythm of things, I thought I would begin to post a few pics taken over the past couple of weeks. If anything, they will serve as visual reminders to elaborate on some pretty amusing stories that have culminated from the move, etc...

Starting off, we may not live in the city of brotherly love, but here on Hawthorn Ave, CR does a good job of showing his warm feelings toward his sister (that is, until he gives her a cheap shot to the belly at the close of a hug)...

A little fun on the playmat...

Birds and lawnmowers

We're in. With huge help from Ga, Gee, Mimi, Pop-pops, J and D, and other various strangers (one day this past week we were so desperate to get CR out of our hair, we called in a random sitter who we'd never met to take him to the park while we packed - it worked out well, but still...desperate times) we are finally settling into our new home.

This morning I woke up to the sound of birds chirping, and the feint sound of a lawnmower in the distance...a far cry from the usual sounds that float through our windows in Cambridge (let me rephrase that - in Cambridge we usually slept with our windows shut to keep out the sounds of sirens, garbage trucks, and other service vehicles in our neighborhood). Here? Open up the hatches and let in the songs of suburbia.

Stress and Snore - not a diner, but more a state of being...

Boxes stress me out. Empty ones make it ten times worse. Add fatigue and I am a hot mess.

We move in two days, and here we sit, watching DVRed episodes of Hung. Love the show, but it does not help get items packed up for our move on Thursday.

We went by the new house earlier today - we love it. Walls painted, floors urethaned, R family happy. T minus 2 days...Needham, here we come!

CR-isms - First Installment

"Shake milk and chicken burger....that's my favorite dinner"...don't you mean milkshake??

"Mommy, I want a cow-back" (instead of, say, a piggy-back?)

"Where are the sharp things?" (asked after we took golf tees away from him)

"What else I can draw?" asking Mommy what he can draw in his coloring book - after this grammatically incorrect statement, he lists off the following:
"Prune juice? And Poops? And apples?" (apparently he knows that the first leads to the second, and that too many of the third result in the second as well)

Mommy: "CR, what are you doing up there" (as I hear him running around his room when he is supposed to be napping...)
CR: "Mommy, I'm just sleeping!"

5/10
CR: "My penis is tall" (yikes!)

5/25
B and J stop in Harvard Square to check out Harvest's most recent dinner menu posted outside of their restaurant. CR, on B's shoulders, states:
"Why don't you just go in - the lights are on" (while gesturing with his hands and shrugging his shoulders - apparently he thinks his parents are idiots...)

7/25/10
Watching Mommy try on the dress I wore to my sis-in-law J's wedding, trying to decide whether or not to keep or donate it...
"Wowwie zowwie, you're a princess!"
I'm keeping the dress...how can I not??